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Riquewihr, one of the prettiest villages in France


NewswireToday – /newswire/ – London, United Kingdom – Some years ago, the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel has picked Alsace in France as one of the hot regions in the world to visit. In 2018 our region of Colmar-Riquewihr, Alsace was voted #3 Best Destination in Europe. Alsace is one of the most beautiful and distinctive regions of France and is famous for its wine, gastronomy and wine tourism facilities. 

Riquewihr in Alsace, a romantic medieval city between mountain and vineyards

Alsace is in eastern France on the Rhine River border with Germany. It is unquestionably spectacularly beautiful. A very special combination of history, culture, scenery, and especially food and wine makes it one of the most delightful places to visit in all of Europe. – John Egan

Riquewihr is the jewel in the crown – famous for the Riesling and other great Alsace wines produced here – and looks today exactly as it did in the 16th Century. Riquewihr is a wonderful and romantic little medieval city hidden between the Vosges mountains and some of the most famous vineyards in Alsace. Although in a very preserved area, Riquewihr is only 7 miles from Colmar and minutes from other famous alsatian villages like Ribeauvillé, Hunawihr, Eguisheim or Kaysersberg. 

Simply walk out of your holiday apartment and go for beautiful walks in the forest and mountain or through some of the most famous vineyards in Alsace, the choice is yours! 

Riquewihr in France, a romantic medieval city on the Alsace wine route, still protected by its impressive city walls.

“If there’s a more delightful prospect anywhere in Europe than the Alsace wine route, I’d like to hear about it. I mean, consider: we have, first, the Vosges mountains — rounded, forested and with just enough drama to give matters an edge. Up top, castles look out from craggy summits, their sting now drawn. Down below, vineyards unfurl right to the gates of villages whose half-timbered streets tell tales stretching back to the middle ages. ” –  

James Preston, Sunday Times, JAN 7, 2007. 

Our holiday apartments in Riquewihr

Discover our holiday vacation rentals in Alsace in one glimpse.

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace.

The Rampart 1500 property

Three of our romantic vacation rental apartments are in the most picturesque part of the external city wall built in the year 1500. On the picture (below on the left), the Dove’s Nest***** house is the large part behind the trees. More left, before the bushes, the Sentinel***** apartment is on the first floor and the attic. Part of the studio The Refuge of the Imp*** can be seen, embedded in the city wall below the Sentinel apartment. Access to these vacation rentals are on the other side of the ramparts, in the picturesque Rue des Remparts. The door at the bottom of the wall is in fact hiding the external part of our airconditioning system. Since the city wall is a national heritage listed building, it was necessary to prove some imagination to hide the ugly (but useful) modern appliances!  

The Old Winery, a collection of 6 luxury gites facing the vineyards.

We are proud to present our collection of new outstanding luxury holiday homes in Riquewihr, Alsace: 4 holiday apartments are located in a big Renaissance house which was a former winery built in 1580 on the first belt of the ramparts (built 3 centuries earlier in the year 1291). The property is facing the famous Schoenenbourg Grand Cru vineyard producing some of the best wines in Alsace; 2 other holiday apartments are located in a 17th Century nearby house. The houses are surrounding a small garden. The whole renovation project took almost 4 years of hard work. The result is a gem!

Click here to discover our holiday gites in the old defence wall of 1291 facing the Schoenenbourg vineyard.

Typical Alsace: the colourful main street of Riquewihr

Riquewihr is certainly the object of an enchantment which lasts for centuries. Its layout and structure have not changed since the Middle Ages, and every piece of architecture is miraculously preserved. If today’s Riquewihr resembles the Middle Age town so much it is because people have not changed much either, for they have the same lifestyle and their existence revolves around the industry of winemaking. It is the aroma of this particular wine that you smell in every ‘Winstub” of the main street. Wine is everywhere and everything in Riquewihr and may be the cause of the enchantment. George Kassianos, wine expert Cyprus.

As you may imagine, Riquewihr is a successful tourist destination in Alsace, France. But most of the tourists are only coming to Riquewihr for the day. At 6 o’clock in the evening, most of the visitors are gone and this beautiful village will be yours until late in the morning of the next day. The next pictures below are taken at approx 9:30 am… And finally, there is hardly any car traffic allowed in the narrow and picturesque streets of the historical village of Riquewihr. This means that your vacation rental apartment is in a priviledged place.

National Heritage and jewels of the Middle Age and Renaissance periods in Riquewihr

Riquewihr, although being only a village of 1300 inhabitants, is the third city in Alsace, after the much larger towns of Strasbourg and Colmar, for the number of National Heritage houses! The splendor of Riquewihr finds its roots in the Renaissance period (16th and 17th Centuries) and is mainly due to the revenue generated by the excellent wines produced in the village.

Within the town’s well-preserved walls, are tight alleys and uneven streets void of cars, with the exception of the few natives’ vehicles, town’s people who live in charming half-timbered homes, each one a different hue of the rainbow. Yes colorful dwellings not just the typical off white plaster straw and dark beamed homes of European medieval villages one sees on TV. Riquewihr‘s homes and stores range in light shades of baby blue, pale yellow, mauve, faded turquoise and light green. Michael J. Meese

Walks through the little streets of Riquewihr

Take some time to leave the main street beaten track and discover the hidden and secluded streets of Riquewihr. Lift your eyes and you will see so many wonderful architectural details… On each side of the main street of Riquewihr, there are many beautiful hidden little streets. The “day trippers” who are in a hurry hardly explore this part of the village. But if you are an adept of Slow Travel in Alsace and while staying in one of our holiday homes in Riquewihr, this part of the village will offer you a lot of interesting discoveries.

Our holiday apartments in Riquewihr

Discover our holiday vacation rentals in Alsace in one glimpse.

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace.